If you are reading this, you are one of the 70% on my mailing list who actively follow this newsletter.
I thank you.
Seriously.
I truly cherish every like, share, and email comment I receive, but even just the fact of a loyal and growing audience is wonderful incentive to sit down at my desk and keep 5 Minute Photos going. It’s been 6 1/2 years since 5MP launched as a single blog post about hard drives for newcomers to digital photography.
And that’s what 5 Minute Photos is all about. Bite-sized tidbits about photography, photo management, and the technology we use to make it happen. A judgement-free hand-holding non-techie resource for the everyday photographers that we’ve all become, thanks to the iPhone.
In 5 minutes or less.
Photography has become integrated into our lives when we weren’t looking, and suddenly it’s our second language, understood worldwide. It’s a superpower for us to communicate, preserve memories, share moments, and clarify our point of view.
Cool.
When I worked at Apple I saw thousands of customers eager to learn the basics of photography on their iPhone and Mac. Unlike compound sentences or parallel parking we were never taught photography (fellow Baby Boomers, I see you) as a life skill in school. Many of you are bushwacking through it all. You know what I mean. Now that we’ve actually got Tricorders and Dick Tracy wrist radios we darn well deserve to use them.
That’s how I see it.
5 MINUTE PHOTOS 2.0
I moved 5MP to Substack this year because of the great features it offers to connect with you in so many new ways. Starting now, I’m taking advantage of those options to expand and enrich the content you get each week, and I’m asking you to help. To support the extra time and commitment I’m adding 2 paid subscriber levels.
It will look like this:
Free Subscriber - This is the 5 Minute Photos you are used to. Once a week newsletters on Saturday with content and insights about mobile/digital photography and an emphasis on the Apple Photos ecosystem. My treat.
Paid Subscriber - In addition to the Saturday post, you get a Wednesday post that features actionable how-to tips about iPhone camera operation, photo organizing, and related digital photography tasks. Paid subscribers also get access to a community chat, a searchable library of 5 Minute Photos archived posts, and a twice-monthly “ask-me-anything” live chat session. All for $5 paid monthly or $50 paid yearly.
Supporting Member - Get all the Basic and Paid content plus a 1 hour consult session and a 25% discount off of digital products, courses, coaching, and live workshops. This will be the playground to expand into other software, new image workflows, and enthusiast content. Annual membership is $175.
A big reason for this move is the challenge of keeping up on Facebook, Instagram, and other forums. I am there less and less. Not only is it a time suck, but I see people misled by poor advice, frustrated by poor search tools, and limited ways for me to share helpful information at a group level.
My hope is that by adding the paid tiers of content, I’ll be able to serve photography newcomers who are not ready for a self-guided course or 1:1 Coaching but need trusted, expert support from time to time to navigate the ever-changing landscape of photography and photo management.
Thank you for your support at every level and I’m eager to hear your comments and requests going forward. If you’ve enjoyed 5 Minute Photos over the years, you need do nothing to continue getting weekly posts. If you would like to have more access to me and be part of a community, I hope you consider becoming a paid subscriber. And if you want to get some 1:1 advice and sample my tips and training, choosing a Supporting Member roll is a great path to the new content and a deeper dive into the ever changing world of digital photography.
Cheers,
Paul Einarsen